Knockdown return-barrel



NQModeL) P. s. OLMSTED & G! HUFFMAN.

Knockdown Return Barre1.-

Pate nted June 28,1881.

006 oaoooa WITNESSES I INVENTOR WM W ATTORNEY N. PETERS, Phob-Ulhogmphar. Waihingion. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS S OLMSTED AND GEORGE HUFFMAN, OF CEDAR FALLS, IOWA.

KNOCKDOWN RETURN-BARREL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,604, dated June 28, 1881. Application filed April 13, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANCIS S. OLMSTED and GEORGE HUFFMAN, citizens of the United States, resident at Cedar Falls, in the county of Black Hawk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new-and useful Improvements in Knockdown Return-Barrels; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the barrel set up. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on line a: m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents the staves stretched out.

This invention has relation to return-barrels for shippers use in shipping dry material; and it consists, mainly, in the construction and novel arrangement of cylinder-staves connected externally by flexible bands having fastenings at their ends, and provided with internal end flanges or ofisets for the bottom and spring-catches for the upper head, all as hereinafter shown and described.

1n the accompanying drawings, the letters a a designate the staves, which are segments of a cylinder, and are suitably beveled on their sides to fit neatly together. I) b are external flexible bands, to which these staves are secured by means of nails or pins 0 c, which are designed to be clinched or otherwise secured on the inside. Each stave is provided at its lower end with a flange or offset, (1, internally arranged, forming, when the staves are cylindrically arranged, an annular led ge,upon which the bottom 0 of the barrel rests securely.

It represents the barrel-head, provided with the circumferential groove h, beveled above and straight below, into which groove the heads of the spring-catches hold.

In order to fasten the top or head h of the 5 inside, have their catch ends turned inward, as

shown, so that when the head his pressed into place it will first force back the catches, and these, reacting after the head has passed, will extend over and secure it. The staves are arranged in cylindrical form, and secured by bolting the ends of the bands I) I) together, the bolts passing through a stave, and being secured by nuts, as indicated at l. barrel has reached its destination and is unloaded and ready to be returned to the shipper, the ends of the bands b I) are disconnected by taking ofi the nuts and withdrawing the bolts. The series of staves can then be pressed out in flattened form, and with the flat heads I can be stowed in compact form, occupying but 7 The bolts can be package by passing them perforated stave and applying little space comparatively. readily kept with the through the their nuts.

Having described this invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

The knockdown shipping-barrel consisting of the cylinder-staves a, the flexible bands b, connected thereto, the fastenin gs 0, con neetin g the staves to the bands, the band-connecting bolts, end flanges, d, spring-catches k, bottom 0, and head h, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS S. OLMSTED. GEORGE HUFFMAN.

When the. 

